Thug is jailed after he attacked his partner and clocked-up numerous driving offences

Chesterfield magistrates' court.

Jon Cooper

Published:14:18Saturday 04 August 2018

Share this article

A thug who attacked his partner and later stole fuel while clocking-up a string of driving offences has been put behind bars.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on July 25 how Lee Nigel Shipman, 31, of Springfield Avenue, Shirebrook, admitted stealing fuel from a service station on July 14 while he was driving a Ford Fiesta.

He also admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on the same day and admitted riding a motorcycle on June 11 when he was disqualified and without insurance.

In addition, he admitted breaching a community order which he had received for a previous assault on his partner.

Prosecuting solicitor Becky Allsop said Shipman assaulted his partner in January after she had asked him the whereabouts of some cigarettes and she had commented on his weight because he looked like he was taking drugs.

Mrs Allsop added that Shipman followed his partner upstairs, grabbed her hair, pulled her around, pushed her on a bed and punched her.

Shipman pleaded guilty to the assault and was originally given a community order but the court opted to re-sentence him for this offence after he breached the order by failing to meet with the probation service.

The defendant, who has 11 previous convictions for driving while disqualified, pleaded guilty to making-off with fuel in a Ford Fiesta without paying, driving while disqualified and without insurance, and also pleaded guilty to driving a motorcycle while disqualified and without insurance.

He also admitted breaching his community order by failing to meet with a probation officer.

Defence solicitor Steve Brint said: “His downfall has been drugs and he’s been involved with drugs for the majority of his adult life.”

Mr Brint added that Shipman has also been struggling after he has been wrongly accused by drug dealers of compromising a £15,000 cannabis grow.

Magistrates sentenced Shipman to 26 weeks of custody and ordered him to pay £64.21 in compensation for the stolen fuel.